Is recycled board weaker than virgin board?

Slightly, at the same caliper. Recycled fibre is shorter, so the board is marginally less rigid and takes on moisture a little faster. Stepping up one caliper restores the performance while keeping the recycled claim intact, and the cost of that step is usually smaller than the premium people expect.

Can I say my packaging is recyclable if it has a window?

Usually not without qualification. A PET film window means the pack is no longer straight paper, and most kerbside systems want the film separated first. Either drop the window, or state the instruction precisely — "remove window before recycling" is defensible where a bare "recyclable" is not.

Is compostable packaging better than recyclable?

Rarely, in practice. Certified compostable material almost always needs industrial facilities that most consumers cannot access, and it contaminates recycling streams when it ends up there instead. Where kerbside recycling is realistic for your customers, a recyclable paper stock does more actual good.

What is the cheapest way to reduce our packaging footprint?

Right-sizing. It removes board, reduces shipping volume and cuts freight emissions in one change, and it lowers cost rather than raising it. It is the only option in this guide that improves the environmental position and the budget at the same time.

Can you certify our recycled content?

We can state the recycled content of the board we supply and provide the mill documentation behind it. We do not issue certifications ourselves. That distinction matters if you intend to print a percentage, because the evidence has to come from the material supply chain rather than from us.

Does a recycled stock change how the pack folds?

It can. Shorter fibre cracks more readily at a crease, so a crease profile set for virgin board may need adjusting. It is a small change but it surfaces at assembly, usually mid-run, which is why it is worth raising before the first production order.

What counts as evidence for a recycled content claim?

Mill documentation stating the percentage and whether the fibre is post-consumer or pre-consumer. Post-consumer has been used and recovered; pre-consumer is manufacturing offcuts. Stating which one you mean is part of making the claim defensible.

Is a paper mailer better than a poly one?

For recyclability, yes — paper goes into kerbside collection where poly generally needs store drop-off. For weight and moisture resistance, poly wins. Which matters more depends on your product and on what your customers can realistically do with the pack.

What is the most common unsupportable claim you see?

Printing "recyclable" on a pack with a film laminate or a plastic window. The board would be recyclable on its own; the finished pack is not, and most kerbside systems will reject it. The claim has to describe the pack as it ships, not the substrate it started as.

Sustainable Packaging Guide

Q: Will switching to recycled board change my printed colours?

Yes. Recycled stocks have a greyer base and absorb more ink, so a colour approved on virgin coated board reads duller. Where a brand colour is fixed, budget for a press proof on the new stock rather than assuming the file transfers.

Three distinct claims get treated as one, and that is where brands attract complaints. This guide separates them and sets out what each option genuinely delivers.

The three claims

Recycled content — what the material is made from. Post-consumer recycled fibre has been used and recovered; pre-consumer is manufacturing offcuts. State the percentage.

Recyclability — whether local infrastructure accepts it. Plain corrugated and uncoated paperboard are accepted almost everywhere. Multi-layer laminated film is accepted almost nowhere.

Compostability — breakdown under specific conditions, almost always industrial rather than home. Home-compostable certification exists but is much rarer.

Options compared

Option	Cost vs conventional	Performance	Real-world recovery
Recycled paperboard	0 – 5% higher	Near-equivalent	Kerbside, widely accepted
Recycled corrugated	Often standard	Equivalent	Kerbside, widely accepted
Aqueous coating	Broadly neutral	Lower barrier than laminate	Keeps paper recyclable
PE-free grease barrier	5 – 15% higher	Good for short contact	Keeps paper recyclable
Mono-material PE film	10 – 20% higher	Close to laminate	Store drop-off only
Certified compostable	20 – 40% higher	Adequate, shorter shelf life	Industrial facilities only
Moulded pulp	Comparable to foam	Good impact absorption	Kerbside, widely accepted

Where each option falls short

Recycled board has a greyer base tone and slightly shorter fibre, so very high recycled grades are marginally less rigid at the same thickness.

Aqueous coatings do not match laminate for gloss or moisture barrier. For wet or long-contact applications they are not a drop-in replacement.

Mono-material films need filling line adjustment — seal temperatures and dwell times change. Trial before converting a live SKU. Store drop-off is also a much weaker recovery route than kerbside.

Certified compostable materials require industrial facilities that most US consumers cannot access, and they contaminate recycling streams when they end up there.

The change that actually reduces material

Right-sizing removes board, reduces shipping volume and cuts freight emissions in one move — and lowers cost rather than raising it. It is the only option here that improves both the environmental position and the budget.

Eliminating a component does the same. Designing for a single material stream helps too: a carton that is entirely paper recycles cleanly, while the same carton with a plastic window and a foil block does not.

Writing a defensible claim

Answer three questions before printing anything: what specifically is claimed, what evidence supports it, and what should the customer do with the pack.

“Recycle with paper” and “industrially compostable, not suitable for home composting” are defensible. A generic leaf symbol is not.

Certification documentation and stated recycled percentages turn a marketing statement into a substantiated one, and the material options behind each claim set out what is actually achievable at each price point.

What the switch actually involves

Changing material is rarely a drop-in substitution, and the cost of the change is not only the price difference on the board.

A mono-material film needs the filling line retuned — seal temperature, dwell time and pressure all differ from a laminate, and running the old settings produces weak seals that fail in transit rather than on the line. Trial it on a single SKU before converting a range.

Recycled board behaves differently at the crease. Shorter fibre cracks more readily on a fold, so a crease profile set for virgin stock may need adjusting. It is a small change but it is discovered at assembly, usually mid-run.

Uncoated and recycled stocks also absorb more ink, so a colour approved on coated board reads duller. Where a brand colour is fixed, budget for a press proof on the new stock rather than assuming the file transfers.

Reading a supplier claim

Three questions separate a substantiated claim from a marketing one.

What exactly is being claimed? “Eco-friendly” and “green” mean nothing specific. “70% post-consumer recycled fibre” and “kerbside recyclable as paper” can both be checked.

What evidence exists? Mill documentation for recycled content, a named certification scheme and number for compostability, and a material composition for recyclability. If a supplier cannot produce these, the claim is not yours to print.

What is the customer meant to do? A claim that does not tell the customer how to dispose of the pack is decoration. “Recycle with paper” and “industrially compostable, not suitable for home composting” both give an instruction.

A note on the least sustainable choice

The largest environmental cost in most packaging programmes is not the material. It is stock that is ordered, stored and never used — obsolete artwork, a discontinued SKU, a seasonal design that overran demand.

Ordering against realistic consumption rather than a price break avoids that entirely, and it is the one change that needs no material substitution, no line trial and no new claim.